This invention relates generally to puzzles and, more particularly, to three dimensional stacking piece puzzles.
An important attribute of any successful puzzle is its ability to understate its true level of difficulty. In other words, those puzzles that are most successful are the ones that, at first glance, appear so simple as to be almost trivial, but which, upon closer acquaintance, prove to be maddeningly difficult to solve.
In designing a puzzle, it is appropriate to take into consideration the age and ability level of the intended players. A child's puzzle, such as that shown for example in U.S. Pat. No. 2,905,474 which issued to Jahr on Sep. 22, 1959, is intentionally made easy to understand and simple to operate. Puzzles intended for adults are intentionally made more difficult to solve, and in some puzzles, such as that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,974,848 which issued to Gieseker on Dec. 4, 1990, it is possible to construct the puzzle in varying degrees of complexity according to the skill level or sophistication of the user.
In view of the foregoing, well designed adult puzzles are those that appear almost childlike in their simplicity but which in reality provide a level of difficulty and sophistication sufficient to challenge and satisfy adults.